Taylor Lautner
Taylor Daniel Lautner (born February 11, 1992) is an American actor who was chosen to portray Jacob Black in the film Twilight. He is well-known for playing 'Sharkboy' in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. Twilight Fan Tour Dates (appearances with Edi Gathegi and Rachelle Lefèvre) *November 10th - Seattle *November 11th - Denver *November 12th - Phoenix *November 13th - Houston *November 14th - Minneapolis *November 15th - Miami Early life Taylor was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan to mom, Deborah, and dad, Dan. He is of French, Dutch, and German descent. When asked about playing Native American character Jacob Black in the [[Twilight (film)|2008 film, Twilight]], he revealed that he has some Indigenous peoples of the Americas ancestry, specifically Ottawa and Potawatomi. Lautner began studying karate at the age of six, training at Fabiano's Karate School in Holland, Michigan. By the following year, he began winning tournaments. He was soon invited to train with seven-time world karate champion Mike Chat and, when he was eight, he was asked to represent his country in the twelve years and under division in the World Karate Association where he proved himself by becoming the Junior World Forms and Weapons champion, winning three gold medals. Lautner began his acting career after his martial arts instructor persuaded him to audition for a part in a Burger King advertisement in Los Angeles. Although he was unsuccessful, he enjoyed the experience so much that decided to pursue a career in acting. Soon, he and his family were traveling back-and-forth from their home in Michigan to California so that Taylor could audition for acting roles on a regular basis. When Lautner was ten, his family relocated to Los Angeles to allow him to pursue acting full-time. He continued to flourish in the martial arts circuit; in 2003, at only eleven years old, he was ranked number one in the world for NASKA's Black Belt Open Forms, Musical Weapons, Traditional Weapons and Traditional Forms and, by the age of twelve, he won Junior World Championships.TaylorLautner.com | Biography However, at the age of 13 he gave up martial arts to focus on his acting.'Twilight' Countdown: Taylor Lautner takes your questions Denise Martin, latimesblog, Oct 27, 2008 Career Lautner began acting in 2001, appearing in the made-for-television film Shadow Fury. He subsequently had roles on the series Summerland, The Bernie Mac Show, and My Wife and Kids. He has also had a recurring role on Danny Phantom as YoungBlood. He is perhaps most famous for his starring role as Sharkboy in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D, a film that showcased his martial arts skills.The Reel Deal | Movie Reviews by Mark Sells Lautner has stated that while he has been trying to succeed in his acting career, he also wants to finish high school. He has had small roles in a number of other television shows and movies, including The Nick & Jessica Variety Hour. In addition to television, Taylor has been very successful in voice-over work. Taylor has booked a recurring role as Youngblood on the cartoon Danny Phantom, and has recorded episodes of What's New, Scooby-Doo? and He's a Bully, Charlie Brown. Taylor has also been as booked a series regular of a pilot presentation called Which Way Is Up?, in addition to voicing the character of Silas in the animated series Silas and Brittany. His big break came in 2005 when, at the age of thirteen, Taylor won the role of Shark Boy in the Robert Rodriguez film The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D. He spent three months on location in Austin, Texas filming. Within months, he successfully auditioned to play Eliot, the son of the Bakers' rivals, in Cheaper by the Dozen 2. Lautner was cast as Jacob Black in the movie adaptation of the book Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. At an appearance at a Breaking Dawn midnight release party at a Barnes & Noble in his hometown in Michigan, Lautner revealed that he would be in a new show with Christian Slater starting in October 2008. The show, called My Own Worst Enemy, was described by Taylor as a mix between Alias and 24. However, the show was cancelled by NBC in November.Breaking News: NBC Pulls the Plug on "Enemy," "Jungle" Personal life Taylor has a younger sister named Makena. He will be a junior at Valencia High School (Santa Clarita, California) for the 2008-09 school year. In his spare time, Taylor loves playing football and baseball, and he is a fan of the Texas Longhorns andWolverines. He is a part of the Hart Baseball Program in the Los Angeles area, where he plays center field and second base. He also participates in the "LA Hip Kids", a hip-hop dance group, and "Hot Shots", a performing jazz dance group. Filmography References [[Category:Twilight Film cast] Category:New Moon Film cast